For many centuries, European populations were exposed to the risk of famine. A single dry or rainy season was enough to ruin harvests, and agricultural yields were often barely subsistence-level. Then, from the Americas, certain plants arrived that helped our ancestors stave off the spectre of famine. These included potatoes and corn, weather-resistant plants capable of growing even in very poor soil. Famine became a distant spectre for men and women, who found in these plants an anchor of survival.
Today, we find ourselves with a different perspective than our ancestors. In Europe, hunger is now a thing of the past, but we must face new challenges. In an era marked by the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and the standardization of food systems, we once again need different solutions, the ability to introduce something new into our diet. Something that benefits our bodies while also avoiding the health of planet Earth.
Since we no longer have other Americas to find panaceas like potatoes and corn once did, we can try to rediscover that part of our plant heritage that has been forgotten, but is more relevant than ever. This is the goal of the book Hidden Botanics (Slow Food Editore, 2026, €18.00, 240 pages. Also available as an ebook), written by Benedetta Gori, ethnobotanist and researcher at the University of Cagliari.
Through a lens that combines science, cuisine, and personal experience, Gori explores the ecological and nutritional value of plants capable of adapting to poor soil, drought, and extreme climates. Sorghum, grass pea, mulberry, nettle, minor cereals, legumes, wild fruits, wild herbs, and marginal vegetables return as protagonists in a story that intertwines ecology, food culture, and collective memory.
Each plant is described in a narrative and scientific manner: origin, distribution, botanical and adaptive characteristics, ecosystem role... and of course, culinary uses, complete with traditional recipes. Above all, each plant tells a story: of people, of territories, of rural communities, of peasant knowledge, and of popular cuisines.
From mountains to plains, from Africa to Europe, the pages of this book demonstrate how agricultural biodiversity and cultural diversity are deeply intertwined and how food can become a tool for ecological and social resilience. Because understanding and consuming forgotten plants is not a nostalgic exercise, but a concrete step towards reducing our dependence on simplified agricultural models, increasing pleasure at the table, and building true sustainability.